Feed-water regulator



(No Model.)

R. J. HOFFMAN. FEED WATER REGULATOR.

No. 434,784. Patented Aug. 19, 1890.

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UNITED STATESl PATENT OFFICE.

Ross J. HOFFMAN, oF BINGHAMTON, NEW YoEK.

FEED-WATER REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 434,784, dated August 19, 1890.

Apnlication led May 20, 1890. Serial No. 352.537. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ROSS J. HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in FeedWater Regulators, of which the following is a speci-A iication.

My invention relates to the class of feed- .water regulators in which a hollow ball is in connection with the boiler through a joint, by meansof which the ball may fall when illed with water or rise when empty, and is connected with a stop-cock in the supply-pipe or pump, through which the water is fed to the boiler.

The object of my invention is mainly to provide free action for the apparatus and the ready access and discharge of the water from the ball. It also includes arrangement of the pipes in connection with the automatic waterregulator, by means of which clogging of the passage to the ball is avoided.v

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front view of aboiler with my regulator, shown partly in section, attached. Dotted lines show-a water-column. Fig. 2 shows a section of the packing-box and connections. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modication.

In the drawings, A represents the boiler, which is intended to represent any equivalent reservoir of water in which'the height of the water is maintained. Near the bottom and top of the boiler are introduced pipes a and b, which are connected to each other to form an unobstructed passage between the top and the bottom of the boiler, the upper pipe opening in the steam-space and the lower opening in the water in the boiler. At a point on the vertical connecting-pipe B, near the horizontal line at which it is desired to maintain the water in the boiler, I pivot a lever D. The

lever is pivoted upon a hollow stem set on the said connectin g-pipe and at right angles thereto, the stem communicating with the interior of the said pipe, and thereby with the interior of the boiler both above and below. The 1ever D has a corresponding hollow stem d, as in Fig. 2, iitted to the stem on the connectingpipe and adapted to turn thereon, the lever moving as it'tui-ns in vertical plane. The lever is hollow from the stem to one end, the hollow end being preferably turned up, as shown at c, and provided with a hollow ball E, so that the interior of the ball is in communication with the boiler either above or below, and it may receive either the steam or water, according to the height of the water. It the water rises in the boiler above the line of the hollow sleeve, it will pass in through .the hollow sleeve and ll the ball E. Vthen the water falls in the boiler below the hollow sleeve, the water will run out. The filling of the elevated ball with water is due to the fact that the water in the boiler, rising above the inlet to the hollow sleeve, shuts off the supply of steam to the ball, and that contained therein the ball condenses and forms a vacuum, into which the water from the boiler immediately rushes in spite oi the location of the hollow ball above the inlet and water-line; The stems are connected by means of any suitable stuffing-boxes or packing to render them steam-tight. The end of the lever opposite the hollow ball is provided with a weight g, made adjustable in any suitable manner. The lever D is connected to a valve h, which controls the supply of water to the boiler through the pipe lo. A

My improvement upon this construction of the hollow ball and lever relates particularly to the introduction of asecond connection between the boiler-space and the interior of the hollow ball. I have found that where a sin` gle passage was provided between the boilerspace and the interior of the hollow ball the action of the water was so slow as to render the apparatus inefficient in some cases and to greatly impair its utility in any case. I have therefore introduced such a second passage leading from the boiler-space into the hollow ball. In Fig. l it is shown at M. This consists of a pipe of small dimensions, located within the hollow lever, entering into the connecting-pipe and extending up into the interior of the hollow ball. The pipe thus entering into the vertical connecting-pipe, its end within the pipe will be either in the steamspace above the column of water in said pipe or within the column of water itself, accord- IOO ing to the height of the water in the boiler. The result of this construction is that as the water rises and enters the lever D the steam within the ball and the lever may escape through the pipe M. Thus the water is allowed to pass in freely. In like manner when the water begins to run out of the ball the steam is allowed free access to take its place, and thus the water may pass in or out freely and quickly, and the apparatus is capable of acting promptly. It will be observed that the pipe M extends near to the top ot' the hollow ball. Instead of being inside, as shown in Fig. 1, it may be placed outside, as shown in Fig. 3; but the rst is the preferred construction. The position of the hollow arm and ball when the water is at its proper height, or not below the low-water level, is shown in Fig. 1. In this case there is water enough in the ball and lever to overcome the weight g and hold the lever having the hollow ball down to the horizontal position, (shown in full lines in said gure,) and the connection is such with the valve that in this position the valve is closed, and when the water falls below the low-water level so much of it runs out of the hollow ball and lever that the weight g overcomes the weight of the opposite lever and the resistance of the valve and raises the ball and its lever to the position shown in dott-ed lines in Fig. 1, in which position the valve is opened and the water is fed to the boiler. By reason of the location of the two pipes a b the flow of scum which may lie upon the surface of the water is avoided, and it cannot.

enter the tubular arm and clog it or fill the hollow ball; but this eect may be gained by means of the construction shown in Fig. 2, in which two stems of the lever D and the pipe M are carried directly into the boiler and are connected to a T-pipe N, which extends npward and downward, one below and the other above the water-limits. This prevents the surface-water, with the scum, from entering into the lever, and permits, also, the free passage of the stem. It will be understood that the vertical connection B may include an ordinary water-colu mn, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, to which the regulator may be applied.

I claim as my inventionl. In combination with a boiler, a hollow stem communicating with the interior of the boiler, a hollow weightedlever provided with a ball and having a pivotal or turning connection with said hollow stem, and a pipe M, forming a second connection between the ball and the boiler, said pipe M extending through the hollow stem also and a connection between the hollow lever and the valve to be operated, substantially as described.

2. In combination, the hollow weighted lever D, provided with a hollow ball, connections therefrom to the valve to be operated,'

and a permanently-open connection between the lever D and the interior of the boiler, extending above and below the limits of low and high water, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ax my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

ROSS J. HOFFMAN.

Witnesses:

N ERI PINE, NETTIE HIL'rs. 

